My cousin Laure lives on the gulf coast. As my grandmother got older and less able to cook a Thanksgiving feast for the family, Laure started a new tradition. She would prepare seafood dishes like this one and take them to Grandma’s to serve the family. We now congregate at her house every year.

This stew of tomatoes, onion, celery, okra, and shrimp is thickened with a roux and seasoned with Old Bay, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic.